The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Presence of toxic melamine was found in three Chinese brands of milk powder out of 8 suspected brands after re-examination both locally and abroad, Health and Family Welfare Adviser Dr AMM Shawkat Ali told a press conference yesterday.

The melamine contaminated brands are Yashili-1, Yashili-2 and Sweet Baby-2. The government will ban the sale of these three brands of Chinese made milk powder.

The Health Adviser said the presence of toxic melamine in the three brands of milk powder was proved in test in the UN food agency FAO's Bangkok laboratory.

Shawkat Ali said the test report would be placed before the court and the government would act in accordance with the court order.

Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman also addressed the press conference held at the Health Ministry.

Earlier, the High Court had ordered a ban on the sale and display of eight brands of milk powder across the country, as preliminary tests at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Dhaka found that all the eight brands of milk contained melamine ranging from 40 milligram (mg) per kg to 450mg per kg which is beyond permissible level.

However, the Government sent the milk powders abroad for re-examination following the dispute from the multinational companies that market milk powder in Bangladesh. They claimed that none of the eight brands contaminated melamine.

The Health Adviser said Yashili-1 contain 67.33-mg melamine per kilogram while Yashily-2 0.28 mg and Sweet Baby-2 0.20 mg per kg.

"The powder milk of eight brands was examined in a total of six laboratories here and abroad," the Adviser informed.